Hey Reader,

Earlier this month, I mentioned I set a goal to write every day in January.

You might be thinking, “Nathan, you’re a busy CEO. Why do you need to write? Can’t you just delegate to a member of your team?”

It’s a fair point. As a leader, one of the most important things I need to do is make sure I’m spending my time on things that only I can do. Then, I delegate the rest. Even if I’m good at something or I enjoy it, if there’s someone else who can do it (and do it better), I should probably delegate.

And for the most part, I do delegate as much as I can! This includes writing. What I do is show up to a meeting with a member of my team and simply speak whatever is on my mind. Because that meeting is recorded and transcribed, it’s easy for them to take those thoughts, ideas, and exact quotes or phrases from me and further develop them into content.

So why would I ever spend hours writing when I can spend minutes speaking and get the same result?

It comes down to whether the goal is to clarify or amplify:

There are topics on which I already have a crystalized message. These are topics I’ve written about, thought about, and given conference talks and podcast interviews on for many years. I could deliver a presentation on these topics with zero preparation because I understand them clearly.

But then there are topics I’m interested in but around which I am still developing my thinking. I may have written or spoken about them some but there is a lot I’ve yet to define. These are the topics I feel are important for me to personally write about.

Putting my fingers to the keys on my keyboard forces me to turn over ideas in ways that speaking doesn’t. Writing is unique in this sense. It allows me to:

• Pause in a way that would otherwise be awkward if speaking
• Reflect on whether I agree with my own statements
• Rephrase key points so they better resonate
• Analyze ideas from different perspectives
• Clarify my thinking on a topic
• Refine how I speak

There’s something about seeing your ideas written in text form in front of you that really forces you to think about what you’re saying and how you say it. You don’t get this from only speaking.

You can actually tell a good writer from how they speak. They formulate sentences in a way non-writers don’t. It’s clear they’ve spent time refining their thoughts and ideas.

Once I’ve refined my thinking on an idea, my favorite way to amplify that thinking is to speak and delegate. Specifically, speak on a podcast that’s being filmed on video, and have the podcast transcribed, and clipped, and shared. Someone else can comb through the transcription to find concise ideas from me that can be repurposed as a blog post, newsletter issue, or chapter of one of my upcoming books.

By filming a podcast, I’m also creating interesting content that people can consume long form (either audio or video) and others can enjoy short form (via clips on social media).

You’re never too busy or important to write so long as you have ideas on which you want to clarify your thinking.

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PODCAST

How to Write a Book That Sells for Decades

What does it take to write a book that keeps selling far into the future? What is the art and science behind writing an amazing book?

Tim Grahl is legitimately one of the best book marketers in the world, once simultaneously having five authors on the New York Times Bestseller list. He knows everyone in the industry, everything about the industry, and he shares his secrets with us in this episode.

​Watch or listen to episode »​

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BOOK

Million Dollar Weekend

My friend, Noah Kagan, just launched his new book today: Million Dollar Weekend. Noah is an entrepreneur who has perfected the art of starting businesses. Most of his 8 businesses (each worth at least $1M), were started in a single weekend.

The premise is simple: Noah’s “business plan” for most people is to get 3 paying customers within 48 hours. You don't have to be rich, brilliant, or super experienced. You don’t have to “risk it all” and quit your day job. You just need to get your first dollar and keep going.

Learn how to quickly go from idea generation, to market analysis, to your first sale, and beyond.

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Are you writing a book?

What’s your biggest challenge with that right now?

—Nathan